Review: ‘The Sentinel’ full of suspense, action

Many of Michael Douglas’ movie characters have had a penchant for getting involved with the wrong woman at the wrong time. In films from “Basic Instinct” to “Fatal Attraction” to “Disclosure” to “A Perfect Murder,” Douglas ended up backed into a corner one way or another. He’s done it even in comedies. Remember the scathing satire “War of the Roses”? It was brutally funny.

He’s in a corner – a very serious one – in his latest film, the suspense/action thriller “The Sentinel.”

Directed by Clark Johnson (“S.W.A.T.”) and based on the novel by Gerald Petievich, “The Sentinel” is in the same general realm of movies like “In the Line Of Fire,” “No Way Out” and even “The Fugitive.” Johnson, who also is a well-known television actor, conjures up a fascinating look at the world of the Secret Service, CIA and FBI. Only agents in these agencies will be able to tell if he has done so using mostly fact or mainly fiction. One of the key words in Secret Service, after all, is “secret.”

This review will not reveal who the wrong woman is, or too many other details about the plot. Much of the enjoyment in seeing a movie such as “The Sentinel” lies in watching it unfold.

Douglas plays legendary Secret Service agent Pete Garrison. Pete is legendary because he’s the agent who took the bullet for Ronald Reagan in 1981. He’s high up on the chain of field agents and travels with current President Ballentine and the first lady constantly.

A fellow longtime agent and friend, looking nervous, asks Pete to call him after work. As we see this agent later in the day, he is gunned down on the steps of his home. The local cops think it’s a routine murder/robbery, but Secret Service investigative agent David Breckinridge thinks otherwise. Breckinridge is played by Kiefer Sutherland. Viewers of TV’s “24” will recognize a lot of Jack Bauer in Breckinridge.

Since the murdered agent was a close friend of Garrison’s, Breckinridge goes to see him. We immediately know there is a history with these two, and they seem at odds with each other. It turns out they were once best friends but had a falling out when Breckinridge thought Garrison was having an affair with his wife.

One of Garrison’s old informants contacts him to tell him there is a mole in the agency and a plot to assassinate the president. That’s why Pete’s friend was killed. He knew too much.

With this threat, every agent with direct access to the White House is asked to undergo a polygraph.

Everyone but Garrison passes.

Other things begin to come into play and a warrant is issued for Garrison’s arrest.

Being a crack agent (even at 60 he has nearly superhuman powers, it seems) Pete manages an escape and goes on the run, ala “The Fugitive.”

The audience, by this time, knows one reason why Pete failed the polygraph, but are unsure if there are others. Maybe he is the mole.

There are cutaways to three foreign bad guys, one of whom we recognize as the killer of Pete’s friend. It’s clear these people are the ones behind the assassination plot. It’s unclear who their White House operative may be.

The cat-and-mouse between Garrison and Breckinridge drives the suspense aspect but there are plenty of action scenes as well. There’s an out-of-nowhere missile attack that downs the presidential helicopter as it’s leaving Camp David. For a minute or two we don’t know who may have been on board.

Kim Basinger looks great as the first lady and her acting chops are as good as ever. The other female lead is Breckinridge’s rookie partner – movies like this always have a rookie partner – played by Eva Longoria. She’s from a TV show called “Desperate Housewives,” I’ve been told.

“The Sentinel” looks great and the cast is A-list. There are holes in the plot, too be sure, but that’s the way it goes with this type of film. If you like the genre, you’ll like “The Sentinel.”

At The Moxie

Neil Young fans take note: The Moxie is running “Heart of Gold” through May 2. Shot in 2005, it captures Young and his band live at the famous Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry. The film features songs from Young’s latest album, “Prairie Wind,” as well as some old favorites. All the selections lean more toward Young’s softer, country-tinged material rather than the power-grunge he invented with Crazy Horse. Jonathan Demme directed and by all accounts, it’s one of the greatest concert films ever. Demme has made some other incredible live performance features including Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” and Spalding Gray’s monologue-as-movie “Swimming to Cambodia.”

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.[[In-content Ad]]